Blog, or Online Diary?

So even though I'm feeling thoroughly uncreative and don't want to post, I figure that I might as well since I'm going to be gone all weekend. And yes, it is going to be wonderful, thank you very much.

Does anyone notice how closely some parts of these so called 'blogs' resemble nothing more than an online diary? But perhaps I am simply new to the blog world and uneducated. To me, blog meant (once upon a time) a place where views and commentary on society, culture and politics were to be found and enjoyed and shared and discussed. What I have come across here however, seems to be more the venting and frustration and chronicling of every day life.

Not that I'm complaining, I've been greatly entertained by what I've read here. And I suppose that I overgeneralize to say that most people simply vent. But these blogs out there, and the question won't leave me alone.

Well I must leave for my wonderful weekend.

May the Lord bless you and keep you.

Name, Name, What's in a Name?

Do you realize the power of a name?

It strikes me as I'm talking to the person in my school that I most respect. He and I don't always get along, and don't exactly have a good Christian love for each other, but we talk from time to time. And as he left (he sleeps... who does that?), he simply said "goodnight shane".

And for some reason, I was touched.

But it makes sense when you stop to think about it. If a parent is especially pleased with a child, they will use their child's name to praise them, not simply "I'm proud of you". If unusually upset, they will use the first and middle names; and you can't tell me you don't know what that means. If you meet someone, and you ask them who they are, they respond with their name. At the beginning of the world, when God created man, one of the first things he did was to give that man a name.

A name (though it maybe shouldn't be) is an identity. Honor and respect or contempt and derision and be communicated all in the way a person uses a name. Something so simple as a name can have more ramifications on our lives than we usually stop to think about.

So I would challenge you to tomorrow directly address all your friends, your siblings, your peers, and use their name as something to try to lift them up with. See what happens.

Oh, the Drama

No one should take offense to this post, although only a few would.

I wish I had the strength of the will to decide that emotions aren't worth the effort. After all, doesn't someone always get hurt? I mean they tell you to always hope, but does anyone always get what they hope for? And they tell you to love others, but doesn't someone always kick that love back in your face?

I'm especially intrigued by how someone else getting hurt can hurt you. For instance, just this week the parts for our spring drama - The Merchant Of Venice - were posted (providing us all with quite a lot of drama). I myself was thoroughly shocked at what happened. You have three senior guys who all try out, one who is perfect at sadistic and evil, one who is our school's ultimate loverboy, and one who would have fit Antonio perfectly. Somehow, only one got the part that fits him (loverboy). It didn't make any sense to me. I looked at the cast list starting at the bottom, expecting to see my name by one of the lesser parts that I had asked for and the three main parts gone to the other seniors.

But then someone points my name out and I am the one who stole the part and screwed up the trio. And I just sit there, excited. But, I'm unable to share it with anyone, because I'm the person least deserving and least expected to fill that role.

I think though, that the way things turned out are ironic and fitting for my senior year. It's going to be the easiest acting ever for Shylock to want to cut out my heart, and this by his own admission. And it's ironic that (in my opinion) two lesser actors play lead roles while my favorite actor (especially evil actor) since eighth grade doesn't. Just the way that two inferior minds will play greater parts in graduation (we think) over the greatest mind.

But I think that the other way of casting the show would have worked out better. I wanted to be one of the little sidekicks to the trio. That leaves the trio each perfectly cast for a part that fits them beautifully. And that leaves me on the outside of their little group, wanting in but unable to ever make it there. But, such is not to be.

But, as it's gray and dreary outside and the rest of you are wanting to get out and enjoy the beauty of it as much as I am (No really, I'm going for a run because days like today are officailly the best ever), I'll finish this post (that I'm sure will make many people mad at me should anyone ever come across it and read it) with a couple shout-outs. To the other two leads, the only two people to tell me congratulations - Thank you. To the third senior - I didn't ask for it to be this way, I didn't try out for that part, and I apologize for having upset you so.

I'm sure that this post will come to be edited or even deleted, so enjoy it while it lasts; and if you happen to want to say anything to me at all, even if you intend by it to offend me, please do.

Perfect Individuality

Many people would scold me for using this font color. I push my nose up with my thumb and stick my tongue out at them. Seriously, why is it that we stress so much how individual a person should be, but when a person dares to be individual, we scorn him? I like pink, so what? That has no effect on my character. Why should you put me down for it?

But maybe the real issue isn't pink at all. Maybe it's that individuality is something we all want, but being unable to find it, suppress it in others. Because of our own faults, we stuff the aspirations of others to rise above their faults back down their throats.

I'm reminded of Plato's perfect man. He was a true individual, loved by everyone, for a time. And as time passed, the people grew tired of his ceaseless perfection. And they began to hate him for it. And, finally, they killed him. Maybe I'm just blatantly plagarising my Great Ideas (philosophy) class, but that sounds way too much like some actual historical individual that I've heard of somewhere before. But, being as how I fear the faceless masses, I will simply say that if you know who I'm talking about, and you know Him, good. If you reject Him, seek His true identity with your whole heart, and see if you can still reject Him. And if you don't have any idea who I'm talking about, ask.

I'll end with a quote from a song about this perfect man from my favorite band ever.

"Can you see in His eyes
As He captures the pain of a million cries;
Can you hear his voice,
Saying I love you - Saying I love you?"